With AI in the news daily, it’s natural for young and older workers alike to wonder how it will affect the future of work. But while AI’s sophistication rapidly grows, experts say there are some capabilities that only humans possess. Below are the skills we humans should concentrate on finessing.

Social interaction. From collaborating to working under pressure to handling emotions, humans’ ability to interact maturely will only become more important as AI takes over routine tasks. Interpersonal communication, reading others (emotional intelligence, or EQ), and teamwork are characteristics that will be in high demand.

The ability to interface with generative AI such as ChatGPT is already proving to increase workers’ productivity. Employees who successfully leverage these new tools appear to have two traits: strong creativity and critical thinking skills (see No. 3 below). Both are necessary to elicit effective responses from AI. The more specific and well-crafted the prompt, the more relevant and nuanced the response, while poorly worded prompts yield vague and off-target answers. Employees who use their imaginations and have original ideas will have an edge over more pedestrian thinkers when interfacing with AI.

Critical thinking. Critical thinking is a habit of the mind that requires analysis of facts, evidence, observations, and arguments to arrive at an unbiased, rational, and skeptical conclusion. This capability is critical to evaluating AI’s responses; logic and reasoning must be applied to an AI response to assure its veracity. Flaws and inconsistencies must be weeded out, and only an individual who can think critically will be able to assess AI’s output.

Humans are uniquely curious, wanting to explore and understand the world. A curious employee will ask questions, probe problems, and dive into uncharted territories, because when workers ask how or why, they go beyond AI’s algorithm-based conclusions and use the processed data to question and interpret it.

Unbiased and ethical decision-making. While AI can process an almost limitless amount of data, only a human with a strong sense of fairness and a clear ethical compass can be relied on to uphold societal values. A great deal of fear surrounds the sudden dominance of AI in all facets of the world today, and only ethical human beings can ensure that AI remains a tool, rather than a replacement, for humanity.

Discussion

1. How do you feel about your ability to elicit solid information from an AI tool such as ChatGPT?
2. What can you do to improve your readiness to enter a workplace in which the use of AI is commonplace?
3. Why do you think a lack of bias and the ability to differentiate between right and wrong will be valued as more and more people rely on AI for information?

 Source: Abelli, H. (2023, November 18). The 5 skills needed to succeed in an AI-dominated workplace. Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com

It’s time to update the tacit rules of texting, says the great-great-granddaughter of Emily Post, the queen of American etiquette for decades. According to Lizzie Post, her famous relative realized that etiquette advice must adapt to reflect the changes that naturally occur in society. Since texting today dominates much communication, often replacing older channels such as letters, voice mail, phone calls, and e-mail, a closer look at the dos and don’ts is apropos.

Before putting fingers to keyboard to dash off a text, consider two basic, inviolable rules. First, texting for personal communication needs to be treated differently than texting in the workplace. Second, each generation has its own take on what is and isn’t okay to discuss via text, so writers need to be aware of their audiences’ potential reactions to a text’s content.

Below are some more general tips for the newest rules to heed when texting.

When texting at work, the prime directive is to never assume the message is private. Additionally, follow any guidelines a department or organization has created. Behaviors to adopt when texting for work include:

• Waiting patiently for a response after sending a message
• Adhering to standard spelling and grammar and using a spelling and grammar check tool
• Being concise
• Responding quickly, especially to customer questions or concerns
• Using a professional tone
• Texting only during business hours
• Avoiding jargon or acronyms such as LOL, BRB
• Inserting emojis sparingly
• Making sure the text chain ending is clear
• Sticking to one topic per text

Texting outside of work has its separate challenges, especially group texts, which have a tendency to run amok. To avoid sticky situations, etiquette experts suggest introducing everyone in a group text, ironing out personal messages in a side text, and acknowledging receipt of, if not responding immediately to, a text.

Personal texting has also bid a fond farewell to the exigencies of correct grammar. As long as the text is intelligible, imperfect punctuation or a lack of capitalization no longer signals a lack of respect.

While delivering bad news in a text is always bad form, discussing emotions is not: Some people prefer using texts rather than face-to-face conversations because messaging allows more time to carefully consider a response. However, if someone is relating a long, heart-wrenching story, a terse response such as “ok” is not okay.

Finally, all experts agree that it is downright rude to text during meals, while at the movies or performances, and throughout live conversations. These situations require focus and attention.

Discussion

1. What are the reasons repeatedly texting a work colleague for a response is considered poor etiquette?
2. Why should you avoid texting acronyms in work messages?
3. What are some problems that could result from poorly worded or grammatically incorrect work texts?

Hunter, T. (2023, September 1). Texting’s do’s and don’t’s for 2023. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com

The days of sticking out a less-than-perfect job for at least one year are over. Gen Z and its closest cohorts, millennials, are taking jobhopping to an unprecedented high. A LinkedIn/CensusWide survey found that 72 percent of Gen Z and 66 percent of millennial employees are actively looking to switch jobs.

This marks a major change in the way the workforce views employment for a variety of reasons. In years past, a strong stigma was attached to jobhopping. The conventional wisdom was that new-hires should stay in a job a minimum of one year so their résumés would show a stable work history. Now, the younger generations are not buying this adage. They dislike what they perceive as corporate greed and opt out of climbing the mythical ladder to success. They have also witnessed massive layoffs and view them as antithetical to the promise of stability.  As job security has waned, many workers quit before being fired.

Moreover, members of Gen Z strongly value personal well-being, which, in their view, trumps blind loyalty to a corporate employer mostly dedicated to the bottom line. Combined with what many new workers view as a lack of potential to grow within an organization and the desire for flexibility that many corporations are unable (or unwilling) to provide, these young people are ready to take their chances and look for a better work environment. To make mobility doable, young workers are taking on multiple freelance positions or starting their own side gigs. When a job that better fits their vision comes up, they may—or may not—pursue it.

This new reality comes with advantages. Job hoppers claim that frequent job switching helps them gain new skills while leading to higher salaries. Employers say that when employees leave a position, they can restructure with greater fluidity.

Still, some warn that caution should reign over flightiness. Many employers still consider an employee who has only worked short stints a headache to avoid. And even job hoppers admit that switching jobs frequently can be exhausting.

Discussion

1. Do you think it’s worth staying in a work situation to show stability on your résumé? Why? Why not?
2. In addition to those noted in the post, what are potential negatives/positives about jobhopping?
3. Would having multiple, part-time, freelance jobs a good fit for you? Why?